In the moment I stepped out of the train and into the city I fell in love. Tokyo has an unbelievable atmosphere and it is extremely modern. I went to Tokyo with my friend Oscar and we visited Chiyoda park where the emperor of Japan lives. We also went to several bonsai parks and saw plenty of temples. The Japanese architecture is remarkable and the amount of time they dedicate to their work is shown in the final products they deliver. Shibuya crossing was spectacular, it reminded me of Times Square. I took a picture with the statue of Hachiko (dog) which is a national hero. After his owner had died, Hachiko would wait for him at the Shibuya metro stop for the following 9 years until his death. What a great example of loyalty! The food is Japan is the best I’ve had in my life. The food is extremely fresh and healthy. They love eating seafood especially tuna. They eat 25% of the world’s tuna. Tokyo has the biggest fish market in the world which is called Tsukiji market. Me and my friends woke up at 3am to watch the fish auction. It was totally worth it! To give you a sense of how good the sushi in Japan is I had sushi at a 711, and it was better than the sushi I’ve had in restaurants. Shinjuku is the busiest district in Tokyo. We went to a street that is called Golden Cai which is full of small bars. Each bar only fits about 8 people. The experience is quite personal with the bartender and our bartender was an incredible musician. He played the guitar and sang for us in Japanese. I will never forget the word “campai” which means cheers in Japanese and “arigato go sai mas” which stand for thank you very much.
We also went to a nearby city called Kamakura. It’s an hour south by train and it’s located right on the coast. We visited a big buddha and several zen temples. The toilets in Japan were unreal. You could put music on and lift the seat by pressing a button. It was quite an unforgettable experience.
Alberto Logrono
